Birthday and Mother's Day Celebration

With recent wine boom in Asia, many restaurants had actually opened up to the idea of BYO. Some fine dining places also promote free corkage if you get a bottle from their cellar, making it a win-win situation and the local eateries (Zi Char) in Singapore are not lag behind too.

From the word of mouth, I decided to pay a visit at "De Classic Golden Spoon".

Once entered, I saw almost all tables has a bottle of wine and of course their signature dish.

Located 15 minutes walk from Tiong Bahru MRT, it was not a difficult place to find. Another good eatery, Por Kee Eating House is just a road across as well.

 

The signature dish here: Crab Been Hoon -

Simmered whole Sri Lankan crab whole in thick broth with fried lardons, it is certainly a dish not for someone with high cholesterol. (laughs) Bee hoon (vermicilli) soaked up the goodness and flavour but not soggy. Crabs are priced by weight and fresh from the tanks.

The first taste gives a smoky flavour then the aroma of the lardons, I find it quite unique.

Home-made fried tofu with cereals and pumpkin sauce -

Tofu smooth and silky, well-coated in the sweet golden pumpkin sauce and the crispy cereals added texture and flavour. Tasted almost like eating the classic cereal prawns. (I heard the chicken had this version too.)

Deep-fried baby squid in Rojak sauce -

Baby squids fried to crisp and tossed in the rojak sauce, reminds me of my childhood as this will be the must-have dish at wedding dinners. Over here, they added a bed of cucumber cubes and it balanced the sweet sauce well.

  

Local spinach simmerd in three eggs -

This dish seems popular here and I think it gets popular at zi char eateries only in recent years.

It does taste better than other zi char eateries however they cooked it too salty and I requested for a re-cooked. They did. Wonderful.

I brought along a bottle of white from Portugal and it was brought in to chill in an ice bucket.

Besides, free corkage, they also offer a variety of glasses (Chilled/Normal) and to me that is quality service.

Cod Fish, steamed in soy and radish -

Cod fish here is measured by weight, 100g at $9, cook in any style you prefer.

A good portion of 300g is just nice for four pax.

Fish was steamed perfectly, savoury fried radish (chai po) and light soy sauce was added.

 

Seafood Mee Sua -

For the whole dining session, this dish caught my attention and even until now I still remember the taste. A simple dish and yet difficult to find a good one in Singapore. The seafood added in were very fresh, prawns so crunchy and so were the firm and thickly sliced fish. The shredded lettuce balanced the dish addinf refreshness and crunch. It is a must order dish at De Classic Golden Spoon.

In summary, De Classic Golden Spoon is a place where foodies must visit. The prices are reasonable and the freshness of seafood here is guaranteed fresh. Wine corkage is free plus they offer really good wine accessories so it is a good place for wine lovers. It is also a good place to bring tourist along.

It is a place I will visit many times.

Note: Reservation is strictly recommended to avoid queue.

De Classic Golden Spoon

Cuisine: Local Singapore cuisine

62 Seng Poh Lane #01-11, Singapore

Tel: +65 6536 2218

Opening Hours:

Daily: 11am–2.30pm, 5.30pm–11pm
Tue: 5.30pm–11pm

Viva Vino

214 Syed Alwi Road, Singapore 207747

Tel: +65 6291 7866

Fax: +65 6291 7366

Email: general@vivavino.com.sg

http://www.vivavino.com.sg/

Comfort Thai Cuisine @ Nahkon Kitchen

Thai food has always been one of my favourite cuisine, they have very unique varieties of dishes that are made with seafood and their own recipe of adding the different herbs and spices.

Nakhon Kitchen (revisit) - 

I remembered my first time here was the time when a friend introduced to me good Thai food in Singapore. We both have a mind-set of good food at reasonable price, I think this is where effort and passion are added. Nahkon is always popular and therefore the queue is always long, however with their unique system of taking order and preparing food waiting time is shorten. When one starts to queue up, waitresses will bring along menu for you to select and order the food. Once you get your seat, food will be serve up shortly. Brilliant isn't it?

Clear Seafood Tom Yum soup -

At Nahkon, you are spoilt with not just three types of tom yum soup but also three types of ingredients to choose from. Well-balanced spiciness with a rich seafood broth.

Fish Cakes - 

I normally do not order Thai fish cakes afraid it might takes like otak-otak with weird taste. I like otak-otak but some Thai fish cakes just tasted weird. A friend suggested it and my initial thought varnished when I took a bite. Outer crust was fried to perfection, crispy and moist in the center.

Boneless Chicken Wing - 

Wonder where the name came from? The bones of the chicken wings were removed and stuffs with minced meat and prawns. No more hassle of taking bones out, just enjoy the nice succulent combination of chicken, pork and prawns. Yummy!

Minced pork sauteed with holy basil - 

A good dish to pair with a big bowl of steamed thai white rice.

Green curry (Chicken) -

Again, you get to choose the ingredients for this green curry.

What I like about the green curry is the sweet, savoury and layer of herbs and spice taste.

Another dish so good that can make one finished few bowls of white rice in no time.

Phad Thai -

A Thai version of fried Kway Teow (flat noodles made of rice) except with a switched of kway teow with the glass noodles. I like the texture because it is chewy. Another reason is I prefer foods with a hint of sweetness. [Some Malaysian friends of mine told me that Malaysians prefers salty version and hence they will order "Phat Si Io" intead of Phad Thai]

In summary, Nahkon Kitchen won many Singaporeans' tastebud and it is a place for many revisit.

Comfort food at reasonable price is the catch of Nahkon Kitchen, and also the friendly service staffs.

Nahkon Kitchen (Bedok)

Cuisine: Thai

Blk 136 Bedok North Ave 3 #01-166, Singapore 

Tel: (65) 6245 5548

Opening Hours: Daily 12-3pm, 5.30-10pm

Nahkon Kitchen (Hougang)

Cuisine: Thai

Blk 212 Hougang Street 21, #01-341, Singapore

Tel: (65) 6286 8785

Opening Hours: Daily 12-3pm, 5.30-10pm

Friday Blind-Tasting

Friday evening, a good time for some relax time and sometimes some serious blind-tasting.

Each friend will bring along a wine that they had either drank before or not and guessing game will start.

Drinking wines for some years, I have been exposed to many different type of cork removers. The good and bad experiences in opening of some wine bottles did bring back some funny and ugly moment. Today it was my first time to see such an interesting cork removal. It was introduced by a friends that it was the oldest method of opening a bottle of wine.

I did some research, this came out to be an 'Ah So Wine Opener' or Cork Puller. 

So why is it called an “Ah-So”? Supposedly, "Ah-so" come from the German name, "Ach so," meaning “I see.” Since it’s appearance and how to use it is somewhat confusing initially, but quickly becomes clear once demonstrated, people supposed remark “Ach so” as they see how it works.

Older bottles seems to have problem removing cork in a single piece as they are brittle and this tool really helps.

There were of a total of one sparkling white wines and four red wines.

Pepperton Estate - Brut Cuvee - Australia

I don't drink sparkling so often and most of the time if I drink it and like it, it will be a good one. (laughs) Of course, most people didn't get it correct.

Established in Australia, their sparkling takes on the fresher and greener side. Full of crisp acidity, apple and citrus notes, this wine definitely takes on a good appetiser. We had grilled dried squid, scallops and light cheese.

Vina Albali Gran Reserva 1995 - Spain

For the first thought, its an old world wine, I guess it was a 1995-1996 French Cabernet Sauvignon blend with the typical french oak note. It came out to be a Spanish, single variety Tempranillo. Good guess on the vintage.

Tempranillo - backbone grape for Spain and Portugal wines, gives a dark chocolate, prunes, blackcurrant and tobacco note. A medium to full-bodied wine, this wine displayed all the characters of tempranillo. Nose, palate and finishing is well-balanced.

Haut-Medoc de Lascombes 2007 -Bordeaux

First tasting note, I thought it has the note and palate of a Rhone-Style wine almost reminds me of Cote Rotie, full-bodied wine. I was right about the vintage but not the region right.

This firm-structured medoc wine definitely is a good wine to keep and drink over many years later but also great to be enjoy now. Pair it over some parma ham, blue-cheese crackers and red meats.

 

2005 Château de Roquefort Côtes de Provence Les Mures - France

A friend who brought this actually gave out a clue by bringing two pieces of Roquefort cheese, one of the world's best-known bluecheeses.

It was quite confusing and I thought it might be an Australian shiraz, there were a light note of a French wine but I cannot help but fell for the trick.

Indeed this is a rather interesting wine, produced in the region famous for their rose wine, this wine was blended with a Grenache base. Deep purple in colour, notes of blueberry and cherry with a light hint of spice and ripe plums.

Paired it with some Roquefort cheese and crackers.

Château Marquis de Calon 2005 - Saint-Estèphe

This wine is not put to blind-tasting but it did display a very straight-forward Bordeaux style of wine.

A second label of Chateau Calon-Segur, this 2005 vintage is firm, lush, approachable and elegant.

Perfect for a lip-smacking rack of lamb for pairing.

Howling Wolves 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon - Magaret River

Somehow, I got tricked again by an Aussie wine to answer it as a French. Is it because of technology or the wine style. Some guess the base of this wine seems like a new world wine and I agree it only when I taste it more carefully.

Black fruits, gummy, chewy, light-spiced oak, great tannin and medium finish with gentle tannin.

2003 is considered a good vintage for an Australian wines, great.

A quick time-check, 1 am. An evening filled with laughters and knowledge sharing from blind-tasting. I got knock over with so much mistakes. (Laughs)

Practice makes perfect so till then look forward to another round of blind-tasting again.

Groupon for a lunch @ The Tasting Room

The last time when I first used Groupon was a donation for the tsunami victims in Japan. Despite hearing colleagues complimenting that Groupon has quite some awesome deals, I did not really bother to have a look. Recently, I decided to have a look and check if there are any deals that I might want to try. Indeed a deal caught my attention: "$29 for 3 Course Wagyu Beef Set Meal at The Tastings Room in Marina Square." I bought two vouchers adding to $58 for a lunch at Vesak Day.

Located at Marina Square, it is easy to be spotted.

While doing some research before decided to visit this restaurant, I read on HGW that the concept here is to enjoy good food and wine pairing that goes easy on the pocket. With this in mind, I do have an impression that there would not be any fines wines in such restaurant, but when sitted across their wine cellar a greenish bottle of Champagne caught my attention. It was a bottle of "Champagne Salon", I stood up immediately and headed into the cellar. "Impressive" was the word I told the owner. There were actually some really fine wines from Rhone, Bordeaux and Australia.

However, when I checked the wine-by-glass list I found prices were a little too steep.

Starter: Creameaux potato and leek soup

Smooth and rich, easy-going comfort soup that warms your palate before the mains.

Main: Wagyu steak, white truffle salted fries and bordelaise sauce.

The steak is worth a lot of praise for the perfect searing to medium cooked, sealing in the juice and flavours. The classic bordelaise sauce gives a savoury glace to the meat. Unfortunately, the fries was not home made and the degree of crispiness varies, infusion of truffle was also not uniform.

Main: Wagyu beef slow braised in red wine sauce, served with celeriac puree.

Beef melts away and celeriac puree has a rich and savoury taste, both compliment each other in taste and texture. Well done.

Dessert: Gateau au Fromage

The first thought I had for this cake was that it was going to taste average almost like the commercial ones, everything just turn out opposite. My fork sank easily into it like cutting fresh cream, the cookies crumbled out loosely like fine sand of the Sahara desert. After putting the first serving into my mouth, a savoury cheesy nose engulf my palate and the cake just melt immediately. This cake was definitely hand-made. This Gateau de Fromage did made it into my list of favourite cheese cakes.

In summary, the food here is enough to make me visit again but definitely not ordering any wines.

Set up of the restaurant is more like a drinking bar then a bistro or steakhouse, but it was matching to my expectation. I would recommend people who like to have simple and good quality western food to visit this place and those who seldom drink wines to order a glass here and enjoy the pairing.

The Tasting Room

Cuisine: Western

6 Raffles Boulevard Marina Square #01-08 Singapore 039594
Make Reservation: +65 6338 1829

Opening Hours:

Mon – Thurs: Mon - Thurs:11am to 10pm
Fri & Sat: 11am to 12am
Sun: Closed

http://www.thetastingsroom.com

Groupon

http://www.groupon.sg

Relaxing Friday wine tasting with friend @ Extra Space Boon Keng

After the Viva Vino wine tasting at Syed Alwi, it was time to move to another tasting held by owner of Wine Caviar and wine loving friends at Extra Space, Boon Keng. 5 minutes cab and I have reached destination.

Great. Everyone had already finished half bottles of 3 sweet wines, sparkling, sparkling rose and Sauvignon blanc. Food were arranged nicely on the table, we have simple pasta with olive and sun-dried tomatoes, 3 varieties of cheese, baguette from Cedele and some Parma hams.

There were five reds, arranged by Kevin by order because he was the organiser and had tasted these wines several times. However, Marcus felt that it was better if it did not arrange by order to have more fun in tasting in the light and rich order to lower prediction and avoid disappoint or unnecessary judgment.

From the left:

Elio Perrone ‘Tas Mor Can,’ Barbera d’Asti, Italy, 2008 - which I was told by Wendy to be the most approachable one. It did and it was so close to the Beaujolais from France. Smooth, low tannin and bright red fruits, definitely good for appetizers and asian foods.

Second - Tsantali, Rapsani Reserve, 2006, Greece.

Produced at the Southern slope of Mount Olympus, mountain of gods. This is my pick of the day because it has an approachable firm tannin structure and light-oaky palate. I think Zeus will also endorse this is good wine. Overall palate was well-balanced and uniqueness lies in the use of Greek grape variety - Xinomavro.

2006 (Vintage) it too quite long for this wine to open up, it was definitely worth waiting. I think I will use a decanter the next time if I open one. (Laughs)

Third - Domaine Claudia Papayianni, Nikolas, Merlot 2009

This is a wine that I brought home after the tasting because it was still 3/4 full, seems not popular.

Clear ruby colour, medium body, red fruits (cherry/plum), slightly acidic. I did a second tasting after opened for 3 days and it did not evolve further.

Fourth - IL VASSALLO, Bosso Del Lazio, Colle Picchioni, 2009, Italy.

While sipping this red, I heard from Kevin that this wine cannot sell well in Singapore. This red is clean and smooth, medium body with a well-balanced structure, many red fruits and rounded tannin. The reason we found that it did not sell well was because of its price, it tasted more like a table wine than a premium.

Fifth - Alpha Estate A1, "Alpha One", Amyndeo, Greece

This is the winner of the day, selected by most of the guest. If you have tasted many Greek wines, you will definitely know that Alpha One Estate, region of Macedonia, produced one of the best wines in Greece. This blended red is well-structured with many layers of taste, round, medium to full bodied. Every single penny worth as a premium red wine that matches an important business dining for hosting guests.

The day ended with many good knowledge about Greek Italian wines, exchanging of friendships and own discovered recipes. I like the Rapsani so much and will definitely get some from Kevin someday.

Extra Space

http://www.extraspace.com.sg

Wine Tasting by Viva Vino

Friday for most people is a day where evening is a time for relaxation.

Today, I had two wine tasting to attend to. I am grateful to be able to attend a Portugal wine tasting by Viva Vino. With special thanks to friend, Morgun Pathi, blogger of Spice In Wine. It was also my first time getting to taste and hear the explanation of Portugal wines. Like many other people there, we are more exposed to Portugal Port wines.

 We have our humble wine hosts Mr. James E. Harrison and wife, Ms. Jennifer Spelman Harrison who prepared awesome finger food. I like her Pate so much and will definitely get the special recipe from her someday.

We started of with a white wine, Quinta De Bons Ventos Bianco 2010, easy-going white almost like a CA Chardonnay. Followed by Bons Ventos Tinto-Red 2008, also another easy drinking one.

The third wine I had, a vintage - Fiuza, Premium 2005, I fell in love with this red because it gives a very elegant spiciness at end of the palate, comfortable kind of spicy. Definitely a good wine to bring alot for any relax Friday wine gathering. I had another wine gathering to be at and I had my last wine at the event with - Vinho Alentejano Cortes de Cima Syrah 2010, more red fruits and well-balanced.

In summary, Portugal wines seems to be more sweet than the usual wines.

Like what Mr. James like to said: Italian makes wines to boost about, Chilean makes wines to sell and Portuguese makes wine for: "Can I have another glass, Please."

It is definitely worth time and effort to explore fine wines of Portugal especially with great host like James. This evening was a fun-filled events with quizzes and many wines to be bought at bin-end price.

VIVA VINO (S) PTE LTD

214 Syed Alwi Road, Singapore 207747

Tel: +65 6291 7688

Fax: +65 6291 7366

Email: general@vivavino.com.sg

http://www.vivavino.com.sg/

Spice In Wine

http://www.spiceinwine.com/

Light Dinner @ Alkaff Mansion

Alkaff Mansion Ristorante - Bar - Cafe

Situated somewhere in the Telok Blangah Green, not very visible to the the public until someone mentioned Alfakff Mansion. This Italian theme restaurant just open last year, 2011.

A short walk along the Henderson Waves as one of the hot spot of Southern Ridges trail before heading to this restaurant will be my suggested way of relaxation.

 Main entrance into Alkaff Mansion and it looks magnificent, a hot spot for wedding shoot.

 Outdoor open bar makes that serves cocktails and drinks.

 I was told that they made good pizza and therefore ordered a typical Margherita. It tasted fantastic. I like the fruity acidic tomato sauce and a good amount of mozzarella cheese. Their pizza crust was thin and crispy but gives a nice chewy texture at the middle.

 Dessert: Lemongrass Panna Cotta

I like it because it has an Asian fusion in it which is the lemongrass and it gives a very refreshing after palate especially matching to the hot climate in Singapore. The other aspect that it was good was because it had all the elements of a good panna cotta.

 I feel like have a Sunday brunch without my footwear so that I can step on the soft patches of carpet grass.

Evening stroll along Henderson waves where I found many tourist and local shutter bugs with their dslr(s) and tripods.

In summary, I enjoyed the food as well as the ambience and I will definitely make another way down for a dinner at their ristorante. It is also an ideal place a high teas with a group of friends or family.

ALKAFF MANSION Ristorante.Bar.Cafe.Events

Cuisine: Western, Italian

10 Telok Blangah Green, Singapore 109178

Tel: +65 6510 3068

Opening Hours

Mon–Sun: 11.30am–2.30pm, 6pm–10.30pm
Mon–Sun: 11.30am till late [Bar]

http://www.lhngroup.com.sg/en/

Dim Sum Hunting at Geylang

Being a Singaporean, I have always know Geylang is a place that held the the most infamous red light district and also the good foods. However, I seldom prowl this street for good food. With Good Friday evening dim sum discussion brewing, a friend suggested going there to try out 126 Dim Sum at Geylang. I agreed and we made our move at 7pm, the right timing where most of the foodies will get dressed and ready for a night long of feast.
We headed immediately to 搵到食 aka 126 and to our surprised, it was an old eateries that opens 24 hour. I proposed an idea to try out some dim sum shops along Geylang, that was why I strictly chose few selected dim sum to judge the overall score of each dim sum.
Selected dim sum were: har kow 虾饺 & siew mai 烧卖.

126: A friend recommended the fried tau pok with squid paste, I was quite impressed that the squid paste are made fresh with real squid. The chilli came in two version using the same chilli sauce, light and thick; I was actually quite impressed that the chilli was good. Then, har kow and siew mai were served. Har kow skin was thin but I was disappointed that the fillings of both har kow and siew mai were same. (Siew mai should be made fully using pork but a little prawn is still acceptable) Goof thing was that the prawns are not overly soaked into the soda water for too long that was what most places did to give an extra crunch to the prawns and usually prawns will lost its natural taste. A quick tasting of 126, we headed downwards to next dim sum shop.

Ho Kee Pau (和记包): This is a shop with many franchises at places in Singapore. I remembered passing by these shops before in some hawker centres and shopping malls. (The main attraction was their large chive dumplings) This time, I left the ordering to my friends. We ordered a little more this round, not forgetting including har kow and siew mai. Overall taste of the har kow and siew mai was somewhat a commercial taste where the production will be produce at a centralised kitchen. However, I must commend that the chive dumplings were exceptional as it is well filled with a good amount of chives. Web surfing on my HTC touch brought another dim sum attraction called MongKok Dim Sum. We made a U-Turn to the even number street of Geylang to MongKok Dim Sum.




































MongKok Dim Sum (旺角点心): A dim sum shop that might be mistaken for a Zi Char store for the arrangement. We managed to find a table above the platform, and we get to enjoy the night view of Geylang with cool breeze from the fan blowing. Cool. We order, yam dumpling and crystal dumpling in addition of the selected dim sum. First came the yam dumpling, I tasted it and freshness of ingredients indicate to me that the rest of the dim sum will be good as well and it did. Yam dumpling is crispy with fillings of savoury shredded carrot and minced pork, crystal dumpling transluccent on the skin showing the green chives tasted not too bad, har kow made with thin and smooth skin almost like a 5-star dim sum restaurant and prawns were crucnhy too. Lastly, the siew mai which is made almost purely with pork which a siew mai should be tasted good. As we part, I saw utensils and ingredients for making 'chee chong fun' aka 猪肠粉 and I regretted for not ordering it. (Probably next trip)


In summary, I am quite impressed that Geylang actually serve dim sum and in fact there are few dim sum stores. So, I can say it is not difficult to find reasonable priced dim sum in Geylang moreover we have some that operate till quite late and also 24/7. MongKok Dim Sum left a good impression for me and will definitely pay them a visit again someday.


搵到食 (126) Dim Sum

126 Sims Avenue
Opening Hours: 24 Hour, Daily

Ho Keep Pau (和记包)

No. 43 Geylang Lorong 27 Tel: +65 6742 1468 Opening Hours: 24 Hour, Daily
http://www.hokeepau.com


MongKok Dim Sum (旺角点心)

214 Geylang Road Lor 8, Singapore
Tel: +65 6841 5133
Opening Hour: Weekdays (4pm - 5am), Weekends (10am - 5am)